Great lunchbox addition

There's a great product that I've been putting in my kids' lunchboxes - it's called Wateroos. Not only are they healthy - they're really just water with a touch of flavor but no sugar or calories - but the kids love them b/c they look just like juice boxes and have cute characters on the front. Starting kids off early and teaching them to enjoy the pure, natural taste of water is extremely beneficial - developing this good habit avoids the need to drink sweet or flavored beverages and in most cases lots of sugar or artificial sweeteners. It can be really hard to break the habit of overconsuming sugary sweet or diet drinks once you're an adult and realize it's best to stick to water. Drinking too many calories is a very common habit that I see in my patients who need to lose weight. The first thing we cut out are coffee drinks, juices, sodas and smoothies; it's much more satisfying to eat your calories than to drink them. Even diet drinks can be overdone and aren't really good for your teeth. So, the earlier you can develop the water habit, the better.
There's also a good website, www.drinklesssugar.com, which compares different lunchbox drinks so you can see how much sugar is in various beverages.

Teach your kids rather than deceive them

After seeing Jessica Seinfeld's book called "Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food," we, as nutrition educators and moms, felt compelled to post on the importance of teaching your kids about nutritious food rather than just hiding it in their treats. While brownies made with pureed spinach and carrots mixed in sounds like an interesting way to work some veggies into your child's diet, teaching your children that vegetables and fruits are delicious and healthy on their own is the best way to foster a love of produce as they get older. My 4 year old talks about how he eats his vegetables so he'll grow big and strong and feel good everyday to do all the things he loves to do. And, no he doesn't always eat every bite, but I'm glad he knows the value of eating his veggies rather than just sneaking it into the dessert he may get as a treat. For my 18 month old, I put vegetables or fruit on his tray every meal and I would encourage you to do the same. Even if they aren't always eaten, fostering the idea that produce is part of every meal will stick with him as he gets older. This is a critical time for developing healthy eating habits, not only for him but the whole family.
Bottomline: If you want to use veggie or fruit purees in recipes to boost your child's intake, go ahead. Just make sure you also give him fruits and vegetables that he can see, smell, taste and appreciate for all they do to make him a strong and healthy individual.

The kid-vegetable challenge

Every night I face the same challenge: getting my kids to eat something green (that grew from the ground). Well, I just found a new product that has made getting my kids to eat veggies easier and the prep time much quicker for me. Birds Eye Steamfresh veggies are ready-to-go, in bite size pieces, frozen vegetables that you pop in the microwave for 5 minutes to steam. Tear open the bag and you're done. Tonight the kids ate the green beans as is and had the mixed vegetables last night. For the broccoli or cauliflower I've thrown a slice of American cheese on top to melt and both my kids gobbled it up. Not only is the prep so much cleaner and easier, since they are steamed right in the bag, they taste just as good as fresh. No worries about freezer burn or ice in a half used bag. What products have you found that make the "kid-vegetable challenge" easier? (Not to mention the "husband-vegetable challenge" I've faced as well. I'll save that for another posting.)

Two Angry Moms...making a difference

Check out Two Angry Moms...these women are on a mission to make school meals healthier. They are asking parents to join their children for lunch at their schools the week of Oct 15-19th and ask questions about the food and ingredients. You can also ask for a copy of their wellness policy.

Breakfast for Weight Loss

Mornings are tough -- they were hard in high school, college, post-college and still today. Not only do we have to get ourselves ready to go but introduce little ones and the tough mornings get even tougher. If I knew then what I know now, I would have enjoyed my quiet mornings at my pace -- it was a luxury! So, what are some of the things that go out the door so that we can get out the door -- one of them is typically breakfast. I am here to warn you -- do not give up breakfast. Aside from modeling good behavior to your children, breakfast can help you lose weight and keep it off. According to a study published using information from the National Weight Control Registry, 78% of successful weight loss individuals ate breakfast consistently every day of the week. Impressively, on average, these people lost 70 lbs and have kept it off for 6 years. Now, breakfast does not have to be time consuming. I typically pick up a banana and my favorite energy bar, which right now is the kids' bar by Cliff, the Z bar (I like the wholesome ingredient deck) and I fill my coffee mug with my beverage of choice for that morning. My breakfast begins as soon as the kids have their seat belts on and we are out of the neighborhood.